Something New to Learn

The waiter picked up a Spirit Testing Stone:

"This Spirit Testing Stone is very simple to use. The person being tested simply places their palm on it. It doesn't matter if you're an ordinary person who hasn't cultivated; the stone will sense it on its own. If you have Spirit Roots, it will light up; if Spirit Root don't, it won't react at all."

As he spoke, he picked out a few stones from the cabinet. "These Spirit Testing Stones themselves are also graded."

He picked up a piece first:

"This one is low-grade, the lowest level. It can only determine whether a person has Spirit Roots, but it can't determine what attributes they have or how many Spirit Roots they have. It's cheap; you can get it for ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Major sects usually buy them for tens or hundreds."

As he spoke, he picked up another stone, this one more lustrous than the previous one.

"This is a mid-grade one. It can not only detect whether someone has Spirit Root, but also determine the element (metal, wood, water, fire, earth), what type of Spirit Root it is, and how many there are. Ordinary small sects and Lineage use this kind. It costs fifty Spirit Stones."

Finally, he took out a brocade box from the back of the counter, opened it, and inside lay a stone that shimmered with a faint glow.

"Senior, look at this. This is a top-grade spirit stone. Mid-grade stones can only test ordinary Five Phases Spirit Roots, but this one can even test mutated Variant Spirit Roots like ice, wind, and lightning. High-Grade Spirit Testing Stones are extremely rare. Our Hundred Refinements Pavilion only has one like this, and it's worth five hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

Shen Jingchuan nodded, then suddenly seemed to remember something and casually asked:

"You mentioned lower, middle, and upper grades. Is there also a top-grade one? Like pills and Law Artifact, aren't there top-grade ones above lower, middle, and upper grades? Why don't these Spirit Testing Stones have top-grade ones?"

The waiter was stumped by the question; he opened his mouth, but couldn't answer for a long time.

"This... please wait a moment, senior, while I go and fetch our manager."

He finished speaking, turned around and ran to the back room, where he whispered a few words to the shopkeeper.

An old man quickly came out to greet Shen Jingchuan, bowing and smiling apologetically.

"Please forgive me, esteemed guest. My shop assistant is not skilled enough to answer your question. I apologize in advance."

"Regarding your question, what he said about the three grades is correct. As for the top-grade one, it certainly exists. But to be honest, not only does this shop not have it, but even in the entire cultivation world, it's an extremely rare item, something you can only come across by chance."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingchuan became even more interested:

"Oh? I'd like to hear that. What makes Supreme-Grade Spirit Testing Stone so precious?"

The shopkeeper stroked his goatee, a hint of smugness on his face:

"I've spent my whole life in the spirit mine business. I wouldn't boast about anything else, but when it comes to Spirit Testing Stones, I really do know more than most people. That's why my shop dares to sell this stuff."

He lowered his voice:

"Honorable guest, you may not know this, but many people in this world actually possess Spirit Roots. It's just that some people's Spirit Roots can be revealed, while others' cannot, and these are called Hidden Spirit Roots."

"Low-grade, medium-grade, and high-grade spirit -Spirit Testing Stones can only detect those manifested Spirit Roots; only Supreme-Grade Spirit Testing Stones can detect those Hidden Spirit Roots."

Upon hearing this, Shen Jingchuan raised an eyebrow slightly:

"According to you—does that mean there are plenty of people with Spirit Roots who are buried in obscurity, treated as mere mortals, simply because they lack Supreme-Grade Spirit Testing Stones?"

The shopkeeper laughed heartily and waved his hand.

"Actually, you don't need to worry. Why can't those Hidden Spirit Roots show up? To put it bluntly, it's because their Spirit Veins are too thin, some are even blocked, and they're not open at all."

Even if you use Supreme-Grade Spirit Testing Stone to determine its nature, you can't cultivate it directly. You have to first spend a great deal of money, using spirit medicines like the Vein Expanding Pill, to widen and open up your Spirit Vein before you can even step into the door of cultivation."

He paused, then continued:

"Besides, nine out of ten of these Hidden Spirit Roots are the lowest grade of the Five Spirit Roots. No matter how many Spirit Stones or how much effort you throw into them, you won't achieve anything. Only the direct descendants of powerful clans and great cultivators are willing to risk their family fortune to help their children expand their meridians. Ordinary families simply don't have the value to cultivate them."

"Therefore, these Supreme-Grade Spirit Testing Stones are rare, ridiculously expensive, and, well, they're not very useful after you buy them; many people don't even know what they're good for."

The shopkeeper changed the subject:

"However, it has value in one situation. Occasionally, there will be special Variant Spirit Roots hidden within these Hidden Spirit Roots, such as ice, wind, and lightning. If those are detected, they will be extraordinary."

Of course, even if you have a hidden Variant Spirit Root, your Spirit Veins will still be narrow when you first discover them. You still need to put in a lot of effort and spend a lot of money to expand your veins before you can cultivate.

"Variant Spirit Root is worth the gamble; if cultivated properly, its future achievements will be extraordinary. However..."

He shook his head. "The probability is extremely low; it might not be one in a million."

Shen Jingchuan understood and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"Your knowledge is profound, senior; I have learned a great deal from you."

The shopkeeper quickly waved his hand:

"You're too kind. We're in business; we naturally need to know what we're selling, otherwise we'd just become a laughingstock."

Shen Jingchuan then had an idea.

Why not just buy a High-Grade Spirit Testing Stone, then put it in your Heaven and Earth Ring to upgrade it to the next level, making it top-grade? At that point, no matter who's in the family, even if they have Hidden Spirit Root, you can still test them all, and no one will be missed.

"Just because you're so knowledgeable in this field."

Shen Jingchuan smiled and said, "I should also support you and buy one."

The shopkeeper assumed he was just trying to make a fuss, and turned around to take out a Low-Grade Spirit Testing Stone and hand it over.

"Alright, thank you for your patronage. I'll charge you one less spirit stone; nine Spirit Stones will do."

Shen Jingchuan chuckled upon seeing this and waved his hand:

"No, no, no, senior, what's the difference between this inferior stuff and the stuff used to deceive people? It's useless to take it back. Please give me a superior piece."

The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment:

"What is this...?"

"Oh, please take it." Shen Jingchuan said casually, "When the elders and ancestors are busy, I can use it to test the children in the clan. It doesn't cost much."

The shopkeeper was secretly astonished. Five hundred Spirit Stones, yet this man called it "not much money." The young master from a prominent Lineage certainly had a different air about him. He dared not be negligent and quickly handed over the High-Grade Spirit Testing Stone along with its brocade box.

Shen Jingchuan originally wanted to take out two High-Grade Qi Condensing Pills to pay off the debt—who wouldn't want high-grade pills? He could even make a profit after calculating the cost.

But before he could finish speaking, he caught a glimpse of someone entering through the door—it was Accountant Wu.